Assembly for supporting an outboard motor



March 15, 1960 A. P. WISMAN ASSEMBLY FOR SUPPORTING AN OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed Sept. 12. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- flma rew P Wis/nan BY ATTORNEY March 15, 1960 A. P. WISMAN 2,928,630

ASSEMBLY FOR SUPPORTING AN OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed Sept. 12. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. F12 draw I? W/sm all AT ORIYEY ASSEMBLY FOR SUPPORTING AN OUTBOARD MOTOR Andrew P. Wisman, Fort Wayne, Ind. assignor to Cletus G. Hartman, Fort Wayne, Ind. I

, Application September 12, 1955, Serial No. 533,742

Claims. (Cl. 248-4) The invention relates generally to supports and more for supporting an outboard motor.

The structure embodying the invention "may be used particularly is directed to a structure, device or assembly wherever applicable and for supporting any of the variouskinds or types of outboard motors now in current use, but has been primarily designed and constructed to support motors of the heavier class such as those having a horsepower rating of ten or more. classare used to propel relatively largeboat's known as cabin cruisers. Such motors are relatively heavy and as a result it is difficult, if not impossible,- under certain conditions, to lift or swing the motor inwardly to a convenient position when repairs or adjustments are required. '.Itv is recognized that various attempts have been made to provide a mounting assembly for motors of the above mentioned heavier class but none have proven completely satisfactory under all operating conditions or use. Some assemblies are relatively cumbersome, some are comprised of a multitude of intricate parts, while others are of flimsy construction and diflicult to operate. Y.

. With the foregoing in mind, one of the principal ob jects of the invention is to provide a motor supporting assembly which is durable, comprised of a minimum of components, and mechanism whereby a carriage for the motor and constituting one'of the components can bereadily raised or lowered with a motor thereon to an appropriate operative or inoperative position This adjustment of the carriage affords a means whereby the motor can be raised and then swung into a convenient carriage for the motor slidably mounted on the support,

a fitting on the carriage, and driving means on the sup- Some motors'in this suited rates PatentO 2 sufficiently inwardly from the boat transom to obtain a' good leverage action and so that the motor can be swung upwardly and inwardly to any one of a number of desi'r-- able positions to permit ready removal or repair thereof.

- A specific object of the invention is to provide the support with a connector so that an elongated handle bar can be detachably connected thereto to manually pivot the support and motor to the position above referred to;

Another object of the invention is to construct the support in the form of a frame having side members and provide the side members with guide or track means which cooperate with a slide member on the carriage for guiding and stabilizing movement of the carriage relative to the support. v a

' Another object of the invention is to provide the sup port with bumpers to prevent injury to the boat transom 1 when amotor is supported in an operative position on the assembly. I

An additional object of the invention is to provide means on the mounting and means on the support whereby the support, carriage and motor as a unit can be temporarily locked in an elevated pivotal position to facilitate themaking of any repairs or adjustments on the motor which would not otherwise be possible when the motor is in its lowermost upright operating position.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide the; mounting and the support with stop means so that when the support and motor are swung into the boat to-place" the motor in an inverted or upside down position, the

stops will engage to maintain the motor in this position.

Many other objects and advantages of the structureembodying the inventionwill become apparent after the description hereinafter set forth is considered in con junction with the drawings annexed hereto.

- In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the motor supporting.

- assembly as applied. to the transom of. a boat;

Figure 2 is a top view of a part of the assembly with portions .in section to illustrate details of the structure; Figure 3 is a top view showing details of the pivotal connection between the mounting and support;

Figure 4 is an elevational side viewof the assembly as applied to a boat and exemplifies various adjustments thereof; and; v 1

Figure 5 is a partial vertical section of a part of the assembly showing details of a locking device for holding g the support in a predetermined position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the sup-- porting assembly includes, among other things, a mount-g ing generally designated 1 for attachment with a boattransom 2, a support 3 pivotally connected to the mount-- ing by an axle 4, a carriage 5 for supporting a motor 6 port operatively connected to thefitting in a mannerf whereby; the carriage and a motor thereoncan be. raised. or lowered, within practicable limits, to any position de-. sired. The pivotal connection between the mountingtand,

support, among other things, promotes safetyv by permitting the support and-motor to swing rearwardly andupwardly when thepropeller or any lower part of the motor accidentally strikes an obstruction in the water.;

1 A significant object of the invention is to piyotally,

mount the fitting on the carriage and provide the driving means with a drive shaft which is universally, connected to a driven shaft which engages the fitting in order to and lowering of the carriage.

aiys alcsqa sqt n etw he gleaming PPPQ shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, a pair of guides .7- carried bythe support, a slide 8 on the carriage coop-.v erating withthe guides, a fitting 9 on the carriage, driving means 10 carried by the support and provided with av drive shaft 11, a driven shaft 12 connected to the fitting, a universal joint connection 13 between the shafts, and a crank 14 for manipulating the driving means.

Considering more in detail the aforementioned components generally in the order above named, themounting 1 may be designed and constructed in various ways, but as'exemplified in the drawings it is preferably made in the form of a C-clamp and includes a pair of corre sponding inner depending legs 15 and a pair of outerdepending legs 16 which are somewhat longer than the" inner legs and bear against the outer side of the boat transom 2 as shown in Figures 1 and 4. Each pair of legs is joined by a bridge portion 17 which bears against 7 the top edge of the transom and the-inner legs 15 are;

provided with screws 18 for engaging the inner side oft 2,928,630 latenteel Mar. 15, teen junction, between the bridge and the leg 15' to provide a: hearing. The axle 4 is provided with reduced cylindrical ends 20- which are respectively journallediin the; bearings 19 and nuts may be connected with threads on the. axle for pivotally securing the support 3 on the monntingat a location spaced inwardlyfrom the transom in order to obtain a good leverage action when the assembly and motor are swung upwardly to the position shown in Figure 4 and at the same time locate the motor farther inwardly to a better position to facilitate making repairs thereon. The axle includes an intermediate cylindrical portion 21 of a diameter somewhat larger than its reduced ends to form shoulders, 22 which will be re.- ferred to subsequently. 5 1

The support 3 which ispivot'ed on the. axle 4 maybe designed and constructed in different ways but as, shown is preferably in the form of a generally L-shaped rectangular frame which more or less nestingly receives the mounting. The support includes a pair of corresponding' side members 23. Each of fthe side members in? cludes a depending straight leg 24 and an inturned upper angularly disposed generally horizontal leg 25. The side members are preferably secured. in spaced parallel relationship by upper and lower cleats'26 and 27 connecting with theinner edges of the depending :legs' 24 and 'oy'a bridge 28.;detachably connected to the angled legs. 25 by screws 29. Another cleat 30 is preferably:

secured to the bottom edges of the. depending legs 24'. The angled: or generally horizontal legs 25 are provided? withapertures through which the reduced ends 20 of the axle 4' extend. The .horizontal legs are preferably wvelded to the intermediate portion 21 of .the axle and against the shoulders 22 above referred to. With this; setup the tubular bearings 19 also serve to space or extend through the side walls 35 of the carriage and the ofisetends 40 to detachably connect the bracket and fitting as a unit for pivotal movement on and within the carriage. The length of the. bracket is such that the offset ends are guided by side walls of the carriage. The

slide member 8 isfpreferab'ly provided with a clearance notch 42 for'the driven shaft12'.

The driving means 10 is preferably mounted on the bridge 28' above referred to. This bridge is detachable and has offset ends which straddle the legs 25. to reenforce the'latter. The drivingmeans includes a coupling element 43. connectible with tthescrank 14 and gears which operate the drive shaft 11 when the gears are driven by the crank. The drive shaft 11 is relatively short as compared to thedriven shaft and extends downwardly through the bridge at right angles thereto. The universal joint connection 13 operatively connects. the drive and driven shafts and is disposed in relativelyclose' To operate the supporting assembly it is merely neces- I sary to apply the crank 14 to the element. 43 of the 1 thereon.

driving means 10 and rotate the crank in one direction to raise the carriage and jmovement of the crank in a reverse direction ,will' lower the carriage and motor V If the motor. requires attention it may be readily swung center the support 3 between the legs 16 of the mounting and for clearance purposes.

'A pair of lower rubber bumpers 31 is: preferably detachably secured to the lower. cleat 27 and a pair of upper bumpers 32 is also secured to the inner edges of a the depending legs 24. at locations directly above; the

lower bumpers, all forengaging or abutting the rear side of the boat transom toprevent damage to. the transom and: at the same time serve as' shock absorbers and dampen the thrust and vibration between the motor and boat.

The side members 23 of the support are provided-with" the guides 7 which are secured by screws or rivets 33' tothe opposed faces of the depending legs 24 and each guide is preferably provided with a longitudinal groove upwardly: and inwardly to the dotted line position illustrated in Figure. 4 and it may be held in this position by any suitable: holding means. The holding means may be made-as desired but is preferably in the form of an elo'ngated member 44 having an end pivoted 'on the leg- 24 of the support and a bent or hooked end 45 which may be interposed between the leg and a detachable lug 46. on the leg. This holding means is preferably placed on the starboard side for'convenient manipulation and so, located that the motor is temporarily held in. a counter-balanced position. The holding means affords a-v setup. whichtmakes it' unnecessary to manually hold the motor in this position while making repairs thereon. A. locking element'47 is preferablyemployed to lock theholding means in a holding position This element maybe threadedly connected. to the support and enter anopening 48 in the member 44 for this purpose.

means suitable for the purpose may be employed a to swingthe motor about the axis of the axle 4,but as herein shown in Figure 5, the means employed forthis- 34. The grooves are opposed and form guide means or" 7 tracks which slidably receive the longitudinal marginal edge portions of the slide member 8, the latter being connected to and constituting a component .of-the carriage 5.? The sizes and lengths of the slide and guides.

are sufiicient to provideqa stable and well balanced subassembly and aifords an efiicientj rela'tivemovement be tween the carriage and support. 7 I

The carriage 5 is generally square in shape and ineludes the slide member 8 above referred to; a pair of motor; clamps to receive the-transom and manipulation of the clamp screws.- Thedriven shaft-12 extends di agonally through the. carriage. and' 'its lower end is.

threadedly connected-to thefitting-Si.

purpose comprises a connector or lug 49 provided on:

of-theposition of the carriageand motor on the support, 7

l but, in general practice, the carriage and motor are first.

' respect to the mounting.

raised or elevated to an inpperniost position beforethe support, carriage andmotor as a unit are pivoted-with As alluded to above, the support, carriage and motor Gaff- 3180 be swung to a position substantially in the boatto place the, motor in an inverted or'up'side down p'o'sition when reqnii'edjto'make certain repairs, such as the replacement] of a sheared pin adjacent the propeller,

which: would not ordinarily be possible if the motor wasin the horizontal dotted line position in Figure 4. The support: is provided-with a frontal cross member constitutingstop means 51 which is adapted to engage theinner legs 15 0f the mounting 1 to maintain the motor in an inverted predetermined position; The legs 15 thus serve-as stop means forthe support.

a In. View at the nagging it will-be manifest that tire..-

support, carriage and motor as a unit can be manually moved and held in any pivotal position permitted by the connection between the mounting and support; locked in a counter-balanced position or in an inverted position for making any repairs required. Attention is directed to the fact that when the motor is locked in the horizontal position, the motor can be easily and quickly slid off the false transom 36. Of further importance is the fact that when the motor is swung into the boat there is no chance of losing the motor while repairs are being made.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of the invention, and, therefore, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement, and comwith a drive shaft with the axis of said driven shaft being angularly disposed with respect to the plane of the up and down movement of the fitting, and a universal joint connecting said shafts to compensate for any variable angular relationship occuring between the driven shaft and support when the driving means is operated to cause the said means on the carriage to slide in the guides.

2. A supporting assembly for an outboard motor comprising: a mounting clamp means for attaching the assembly to a part of a boat, a support pivotally connected to the mounting clamp means, guide means carried by the support, a carriage having a slide' engaging the guide means and a transom for supporting a motor, a threaded fitting pivotally mounted on the carriage, driving means carried by the support and provided with a drive shaft, a universal joint attached to the drive shaft, and a threaded driven shaft extending angularly through the carriage and with reference to the support 5 operatively connecting the threaded fitting and universal joint, the arrangement being such that operation of the driving means will cause the slide to ride in the guide means to raise or lower the carriage as desired.

3. The structure defined in claim 2, including means on the support and means on the mounting cooperable with the means on the support for maintaining the sup-v port and carriage as a unit in a predetermined pivotal position with respect to the mounting when moved to said position.

4. The structure defined in claim 2, in which the slide is provided with a clearance opening for the driven shaft, and the carriage is provided with a connector which is adapted to cooperate with a lever to facilitate pivoting of the support and carriage as a unit with respect to the mounting.

5. A motor supporting unit of the kind described, comprising a clamping assembly for straddling the upper portion of a boat transom for attaching the unit to the transom and having a horizontal portion, a support having a substantially horizontal part pivotally connected to the forward extremity of the said horizontal portion and also having a pair of depending legs, a box-like carriage having a forward side slidably connected to the legs and a rear side provided with a transom for supporting a motor,v

a member pivotally mounted on the carriage within its confines at a location spaced from its forward and rear sides and provided with a threaded element, said support including a bridge connected to the legs, a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the bridge, and a driven shaft extending angularly through the carriage having an upper end universally connected to the drive shaft and a lower threaded extremity connected to the threaded element in a manner whereby the drive shaft may be rotated to raise or lower the carriage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,141,196 McLaren June 1, 1915 1,152,425 Lovell Sept. 7, 1915 1,894,710 Samuelson Jan. 17, 1933 1,973,166 Fowler et al. Sept, 11, 1934 2,631,799 Poulin Mar. 17, 1953 2,638,863 Kiebler May 19, 1953 2,706,961 Barber Apr. 26, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 309,789 Italy July 17, 1933 459,393 Germany Nov. 2, 1928 469,910 France June 3, 1914 

